By;
Nelson Baziwelo Zakeyu
Secretary to the Alcohol Policy Task force Committee and,
Executive Director – Drug Fight Malawi
Web site: www.drugfightmalawi.com
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Consumption of alcohol beverages is a longstanding widespread, and varied human
custom.
In Malawi, home production of indigenous
beverages exists alongside industrial
production
Both male and female consume alcohol in
Malawi but high consumption is reported in
male ( Base Line Survey on Unrecorded
Alcohol in Malawi 2010 – Drug Fight Malawi)
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Harmful alcohol use can be defined as
excessive use to the point that it causes damage
to health and often includes adverse social
consequences – Dr. Ala Alwan, WHO Assistant
Director for Non communicable Diseases and
Mental Health- 2011.
As much as it affects the consumer, there is a
broad range of people adversely affected by the
drinking of others.
Problems of increased road accidents, rape and
murder cases, HIV cases, poverty etc, are often
linked to harmful use of alcohol.
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Until now, development policies for this
country do not consider alcohol consumption
as a development issue. Such policies include
MGDS which is the overarching strategy for
Malawi, Malawi Vision 2020, Malawi Poverty
Reduction Strategy, Malawi Economic Growth
Strategy, Malawi Growth and Development
Strategy and the Malawi Growth and
Development Strategy Formulation Process.
WHO, the World Bank and other partners have
approved alcohol as development issue and are
urging countries to consider this.
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Average annual income per individual in
Malawi is small unfortunately, much of the
income already small, is spent on alcohol –
Base Line Survey on Unrecorded alcohol, 2010.
Harmful use of alcohol therefore has a serious
effect on public health and a contributing factor
to poverty in Malawi
Effective actions against harmful use of alcohol
were needed to be taken to protect the people
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In 2006, Drug Fight Malawi started
implementing a two year education program
(awareness raising) on Alcohol and Education.
The targets were youth in and out of school in
both Lilongwe urban and rural.
It was a nice program, well received and
accepted by parents/guardians, teachers as
well as students in the targeted area
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Progress report for the first year (2006) of the
project clearly indicated the impact of the
project was too small due to many problems
related to harmful alcohol consumption that
were not only affecting quality of education but
other sectors as well.
It needed joint efforts from all stakeholders to
reduce those problems for the sustainable
development of Malawi
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While revising alcohol and education project,
Alcohol Industry invited Drug Fight Malawi,
other Civil Societies and Government officials
such as Ministry of to a meeting right here at
Crossroads Hotel where it was learnt of the
Alcohol Industry initiated National Alcohol
Policy- November, 2007
Participants were being asked for
contributions to the Draft Alcohol Industry
Initiated Policy at that time
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A thorough study to the Alcohol Industry
Policy document alarmed Civil society
Organizations invited and Drug Fight Malawi
in particular.
The Alcohol Industry initiated Policy clearly
showed their vested interest, aimed at
maximization of profits and little to assist
Malawian Society against alcohol related
problems
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In response to Alcohol Industry initiated
Policy, Drug Fight Malawi in April 2008,
organized the first ever stakeholders meeting
on alcohol and developments, with participants
from both Civil Society and strategic
government Ministries/Departments
The idea was to discuss about the Alcohol
Industry initiated policy and how best to come
in with alcohol harm reduction strategies that
would benefit all the people in the country.
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The meeting agreed on the following:
Agreed for the need for Malawi to develop and
implement the National Alcohol Policy that
would focus on the interest of the society and
not those in business.
Participants nominated Ministry of Internal
Affairs and Public Security (Home Affairs by
then) as a Lead Ministry to the Processes
A working committee ‘The Alcohol Policy Task
force Committee’ was put in place
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Drug Fight Malawi, an organization initiated and also
spearheading the work, was nominated as a Secretariat
to the processes
Agreed to hire a consultant to assist in the
development of the Alcohol Policy frame work
Agreed also to work closely with the Inter-Ministerial
Committee on Drug Control (chaired by Ministry of
internal Affairs and Public Security) and all other
strategic Government Ministries and departments
To work with Alcohol Industry in Malawi for their
inputs on how best to reduce harmful alcohol
consumption, but not necessarily consulting them in
the development of the National Alcohol Policy
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To invite other Civil Society organizations to
join hand in working with the Government in
the development of the National Alcohol
Policy.
The Lead Ministry on the other hand started
collaborating with all other Ministries in
support to the development of the National
Alcohol Policy.
Several stages/activities have taken place since
2008, to ensure people’s voice is heard in the
final draft National Alcohol Policy.
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WHO, Forut of Norway, GAPA and the World
Bank have been very instrumental to the
development of Malawi Alcohol Policy
through the provision of evidence based
information at int. level, technical expertise and
other resources (finances –Forut of Norway)
Nationally, in addition to collecting views
from the people, local experts have contributed
much to the Draft National Alcohol Policy.
These ensure that while the final draft Alcohol
Policy meets with local needs, it also complies
with International standards.
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Ministry of Health as a Lead Ministry
The first stages of Policy were implemented
under the leadership of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs and Public Security. The Policy working
committee in January, 2011, decided to transfer
the Alcohol Policy leadership to the Ministry of
Health as the most appropriate Ministry due to
high element of public health
I hope, the Ministry of Health will continue
welcoming comments/views from the people
even after this gathering before the policy is
finalised.
Group discussions, one to one consultations and
public debating were some of the methods
used in collecting peoples’ views.
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Thank you for the attention